Minimalism Journey: Things or Services I Stopped Purchasing (Money Saved)

I watched a lot of YouTube videos about minimalism, sustainability and nutrition. Being a minimalist doesn’t always mean that you have to own nothing or less. For example, you may call yourself a minimalist but you also own numerous bags because that sparks joy for you. Then, you just let go of the other unnecessary things from your life. Cliché but true, “quality over quantity”.

I started this practice since August 2018. I started by taking out things that I do not need and use. Some of my clothes were donated and sold. I discovered that I have multiple items in my closet — little things that sometimes are taken for granted.

The steps that I did below might help if you want to achieve the same lifestyle.

1. Decide if you really wanted to do this. If yes, continue reading. Hahaa

2. Declutter all you personal belongings. Separate the things you want to keep, donate, sold and throw away. Note that you don’t have to do this in one day. You may schedule every portion of your closet or part of the house to make sure that you won’t miss anything.

3. Do not take too long to decide. If it is something that you don’t wear or use for the past few months, it only means that you are fine without them. Let it go.

4. Check if you have multiple items. You don’t need them if it serves you the same purpose. That’s hoarding. Just keep the best one.

5. You may want to sell your used items at Carousell or just do a garage sale. And maybe donate some to your family and friends.

Once you are finished at this task, you will notice what kind of style do you have. Know your priorities and stick to it.

Sharing with you some of the things or services that I don’t purchase or hoard anymore. Somehow, it makes my daily life a bit easier. Plus it helps me saved money or put my money into more important things.

1. Nail services — I do it on my own. I just wanted my nails to be clean and I’m actually not a fan of nail polish because of the harmful chemicals. Or maybe I am just so lazy to maintain it. Hehee. Nonetheless, I am fine with cleaning my own nails.

2. Hair services except hair cut — I stopped coloring my hair. Black is my natural hair color and I love it because it’s classic. I don’t mind if it’s straight and boring.

3. Cheap low quality trendy clothing — I admit, there comes a time when I compulsively buy cheap things because they’re cute and trendy. Now, I do not buy just because it’s cheap. I also do not invest on trendy items unless I really like them but I limit to one or two.

4. Sale items — I am no longer excited on sale because I realized that I don’t really save on those, I still spend on things I thought I need because it’s on sale. However, if I really need a particular item and it’s on sale, that’s the only time that I will take advantage of the sale. Be wise on your spendings.

5. Fancy, trendy and fake accessories — I used to hoard a lot of these but it seems that I wasn’t able to maximize their use. I love necklaces. Don’t get me wrong, I like to style from time to time but I’d rather purchase classic pieces or invest in jeweleries that will lasts a lifetime.

6. Kitschy souvenir items — I tend to buy souvenirs whenever we travel and obviously, I never used all of them. It’s true that we should invest more in memories so take a lot of photos and videos and eat a lot especially their local food!

Aside from that, I also emptied first my skin care and other toiletries before buying a new one. I am also trying to be sustainable so hopefully, I will get there soon.

We are all different and my thoughts may never be the same as yours but I hope that we are on the same page in helping our Mother Earth.

I’m a work in progress towards the lifestyle that I want — still far away from it. It’s actually difficult since my things are scattered in different locations and I don’t have my own place yet. But nonetheless, there is no excuse if you wanted something. You just have to know what works best for you.

Let me know your thoughts.

Keep loving life,

Nija

Artwork made via @photofyapp